Message from Admiral Thad Allen (and others) on Coast Guard Day 2009 gCaptain Total Views: 39 August 4, 2009 The following is a messge from Admiral T.W. Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, on Coast Guard Day 2009.  Check out the links at the bottom for more Coast Guard Day messages from around the web Coast Guard Day provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the parallels between historical events and our current activities. The concept of a “Coast Guard” is a unique product of the American Revolution – a blend of previous naval and customs functions that ha never been assigned to a single entity. Two-hundred and nineteen years ago, Alexander Hamilton created a modest service to collect revenue to sustain our fledging nation. Envisioning the need for a more robust federal maritime presence, he directed the first revenue cutter captains to ensure the safety of life at sea, preserve our maritime sovereignty, and facilitate maritime commerce while treating their countrymen with respect. He also foresaw the need for risk management and flexibility to meet emerging demands. A brilliant visionary, Hamilton knew change was coming. Today, the nations of this world are coming to understand the relevance, value, and indispensability of a maritime presence capable of exerting and insuring national sovereignty. While larger nations have a requirement to project naval sea power, most nations are (or should be) concerned with the depletion of living marine resources, the safe and secure development of offshore oil and gas industries, illegal migration, drug and other contraband trafficking, and the use of the global commons for piracy or to further extremist ideologies through sea-based terrorist and criminal activities. We exist today because this was understood for the first time two centuries ago by the first Guardian. Our path to the present has at times been difficult. Throughout our history, the Coast Guard has undergone significant organization changes dri